Milk-bottle filler.



L. W. MERRIAM.

MILK BOTTLE FILLER.

mman-1011 FILED SEPT. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

LFW. MERRIAM. MILK BOTTLE FILLER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1909.

980,985. PatentedJan.10,1911.

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' regulate the flow of liquid to permit the fill- LYMAN W. MEBRIAM, OFFITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

MILK-BOTTLE FILLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Application filed September 23, 1909. Serial 110,519,148.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN W. MERRIAM, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Fitchburg, in the county of VVorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMilk-Bottle Fillers, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention relates to packaging liqaids and particularly to fillingmachines.

An object of this invention is to provide novel means for fillingbottles and other receptacles from a container or tank, the inventionbeing designed primarily for filling milk bottles, although I do notwish to be limited to this specific use of the apparatus. A furtherobject of this invention is to provide novel means for conducting liquidfrom a tank and directing it into a plurality of receptacles such asbottles, in which provision is made for filling one set of bottles whileanother set is being placed in position to be filled and in which theconduits or channels in which the liquid flows may be moved todiscontinue the discharge therethrough into one of a series ofreceptacles in order that the said liquid may he delivered to the secondseries of receptacles while the first mentioned series is being removedand replaced by another series of receptacles. A further object of thisinvention is to provide novel means for controlling the supply of liquidin its passage from the tank or receptacle, thereby permitting anoperator to allow the discharge of an amount of liquid equal to hiscapacity to manipulate the receptacles, that is to say the operator maying of the receptacles as rapidly as he can remove and replace the same.

A further object of this invention is to produce a filling apparatushaving liquid conducting spouts which are mounted to escillate withrelation to the receptacles, the said spouts being open at both ends inorder that liquid will discharge therefrom at the end which islowermost, and it is furthermore the object of this invention to produceliquid conductors which will be retained ,in their operative relation toa receptacle through gravity and the weight of the liquid runningtherethrough.

With the foregoing and other objects in 1 View, the invention consistsin the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, in which-'-Figure 1 illustrates a view in perspective of a fragment of a tank withthe apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2 illustrates an encl elevation ofthe apparatus partly in section; Fig. 3 illustrates a detail sectionalview of the valve; Fig. 4 illustrates a detail sectional view of thevalve taken at a position at right angles to the illustration in Fig. 3;and Fig. 5, illustrates an end elevation of the valve with one of theconductor pipes in section.

In these drawings, 6 denotes a tank or receptacle having a valve casing7 therein, the end of which is provided with a valve seat 8 to receivethe valve 9, the said valve having a stem 1Q extending through the frontwall 11, thereof, which wall is apertured to receive the said stem andthat portion of the stem which projects beyond the face of the valve isprovided with a recess 1.2, designed to receive a cam rib 13 which isformed on the hub 14 of the lever 15. The hub 14 is provided with anaperture to receive the screw 16, which screw has its outer end providedwith a bearing surface on which the hub 14 is rotatable as fully shownin dotted lines, Fig. 3. The valve casing is held in place in the tankby means of braces 17 and 18 fully shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The valve casing is provided with an outlet passage 19 with which thepipe 20 communicates so that liquid which flows through the inner end ofthe casing when the valve is unseated is discharged through the pipe 20.

In utllizing the apparatus just described 7 in connection with the meansfor delivering theliquid to receptacles such as bottles, I provide thepipe 20 with a series of apertures 21, through which liquid is deliveredto the spouts 22, which spouts are oscillatingly mounted on a shaft 23.The shaft is fixedly supported in hangers 24, removably V suspended fromthe pipe 20, and said spouts being integrally united with the clips 27,by which they are removably mounted and adapted tobe manually tiltedtransversely of the shaft '23. The shaft 23 is further provided withsets of pins 25 and 26 between which the spouts 22 are seated, toprevent lateral movement of the spouts.

An inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 Will it is thought enable a clearunderstanding of the construction and operation of those portions -ofthe apparatus just described. The end of the plpe 20 is provided with aplug 28,

which may be threaded in the end or it may be retained therein byfriction and said plug is made removable in order that the interior ofthe'pipe may be reached for the purpose of cleaning the same.

It is clearly obvious how the members 20,

22, 23, 28 and 34 with their adjuncts may be quickly and easilydisassembled for thorough and sanitary cleaning, by simply removing thekey 34, from the aperture 35 and the plug from the end of pipe 20, whenthe hangers may be removed from the pipe;

and then by pulling the spouts so that the ends of the spring clips willseparate and allow the rod to be drawn therefrom. In operation, thespouts are manually changed from one inclined position to the oppositeas in Fig. 2.

In order to insure ready operation, it is desirable that a tray 29, bestationed under the conductor pipe 20, the said tray being designed tocollect the drippings or overflow and having a discharge opening 30,

y in order that the said dripping or overflow may pass therefrom. Thetray is further provided with a grid 31 in its bottom comwill be belowthe discharge openings of the spout in order that an operator may,.without the exercise of undue care, apply receptacles to the spacesbetween the partitions where they will be in position to receive theliquid from the spouts, and as spaces are provided on each side of thelongitudinally disposed central wire 33, the spaces on each side of thesaid wire may be alternately filled with receptacles and the liquid maybe directed to the receptacles by tilting the spouts.

I have heretofore stated that liquid flowing from the tank may becontrolled through the medium of the valve and it follows that theapparatus may be constructed to fill a greater or less number ofreceptacles without departing from the scope of the invention.

Permanently secured to the pipe 20 is a V-shaped lug 34 which contactswithin one of the hangers 24 said hanger 24L being cut out or formed toallow the lug 34 to slide into said hanger, at 35. This arrangement isfor the purpose of retaining the spouts or conduits 22 on the shaft 23in a stationary position for a time, at the discretion of the operator.

In order that all the vessels may be filled to the same level it may benecessary to grade the sizes of the outlets 21, the smaller ones beingnearer the tank, where the liquid first begins to flow and with greaterforce.

I claim 1. In a receptacle filling apparatus, a tank, a pi 3e leadingtherefrom, means for controlling the liquid passing into the pipe,double mouthed spouts, tiltably mounted transversely of the pipe, thesaid pipe having apertures discharging into the spouts, and means formoving the spouts.

2. Inareceptacle filling apparatus,atank, a pipe in communicationtherewith, means for controlling liquid passing into the pipe, said pipehaving apertures, tiltable spouts arranged under the apertures, thespouts being removably secured.

3. In a receptacle filling apparatus, a tank,

a valve casing therein having a valve seat, a valve movable withrelation to the valve seat, a stem on the valve, said stem having arecess, a movable member having a cam rib fitted in the recess of thevalve stem whereby movement thereof communicates motion to the valve. v4. In a receptacle filling apparatus, a tank, a pipe having apertures,said pipe being in communication with the tank, hangers on the pipe, ashaft mounted in the hangers, spouts mounted on the shaft under theapertures of the pipe, and adapted to be manually tilted transversely ofthe pipe.

5. In a receptacle filling apparatus, a tank,

a pipe having'apertures, said pipe being in communication With the tank,hangers on the pipe, a shaft mounted in the hangers, spouts mounted onthe shaft under the apertures of the pipe, spring clips integral withthe spouts and adapted for attaching and detaching the spouts.

6. In a receptacle filling apparatus, a tank, a pipe having outletapertures, said pipe be- 10 ing in communication With said tank, hangersonthepipe, a shaft supported by the hangers and double mouthed spoutstiltably and removably seated upon the shaft.

In testimony whereof, I, afiix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

LYMAN W. MERRIAM.

Witnesses S. LE ROY LONGLEY, LEVI E. FLiNT.

